Choosing the right window....

poochie2009

Hey all,im just starting to look at window suppliers for a house in galway at the moment.A lot of window suppliers out there and with U value talk all over the place it can be a minefield to pick the right windows.
I was just wondering if anyone has 1.name of any window companys that they got on well with and 2.any hints or tips you have?
Also,what does people think of Black windows?

AdamAntsy

I like Black on the outside, either PvC or Alu-Clad and then cream/white on inside. Think you can get a 2-tone PvC that can give you that..

Metalpanic

Just bought windows for a house renovation last week! We used Munster Joinery and have been very happy with them so far (granted the windows aren't coming until Saturday). I was told by my project manager that they are very hard to beat on price and that their quality is good.

I also like black windows so we went with a PVC double glaze with a bog oak veneer. It's a small enough house so with relatively small windows so double glazed windows offer enough insulation. If your house has very large windows and you are looking for maximum insulation then triple glaze is the way to go, but you will pay for it!

Munster also do external doors (both PVC and hard wood) and a fancy one with metal strips in it that stop it warping. Very handy.

http://www.munsterjoinery.ie/

poochie2009

thanks guys,sounds good.when you say black with bog oak..does that mean a bog ok finish inside??are windows expensive?my house size is 2215sq.ft so double glazing is fine..

Metalpanic

Yeah the windows themselves are black PVC. But black PVC fades to gray over time in sunlight so they are covered inside and out in a wood effect veneer which in my case is a bog oak finish. I can't find an example of them online grr!
If you go with Munster a rep will come out with a car full of examples so you can see exactly what everything looks like.

Cost wise we have 8 windows, double and single patio doors, hardwood front door and PVC back door and it came to 4K. However the windows are pretty small it's an almost 100 year old cottage! if we went with triple glaze it would have been over 5K.

mr_edge_to_you

Hey, first thing we decided was the type of frame we wanted, we wanted a black exterior without necessarily having black inside. Our research brought aluclad windows to our attention, timber frame with aluminium covering on the outside. This allowed us black on the outside and a natural real wood finish inside. They are also relatively maintenance free. When we decided on our frame we then proceeded to get quotes. Quotes varied hugely from 23k to 40k. We knew then that we had to allow up to 30k for our windows. As it turns out we got 6 quotes back for under 25k. So we are looking at all of those in more detail now by going to the various showrooms. By using top hung instead of tilt and turn we were able to keep our budget lower. So decide what you want, what you can afford and see what quotes fit your preferences! I've told them all I want A standard, not getting bogged down on specifics of u values, it's a minefield in my opinion. UValues really do complicate things, keep it simple!